Voting and similar registering machine.



W. J. LAUSTERER.

VOTING AND SIMILAR REGISTERING MAGHINE.

, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1904. 91 6,336.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR WITNESSES;

l A TTORNLY.

W. J LAUSTERER. VOTING AND SIMILAR REGISTERING MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1904.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mmlfllmluaii 1L?IIIIIIIIIII IIIIMIIIIIIIMEl INVENTOR A TTORNEY.

WITNESSES.-

W. J. LAUSTERER. VOTING AND SIMILAR REGISTERING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED BEPT. 10 1904.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

4 SHBETSSHBET 3.

JNVENTOR A; A TTORNY.

W. J. LAUSTERBR.

VOTING AND SIMILAR REGISTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1904.

91 6,336. Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES.-

, NVENTOR ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. LAUSTERER, MACHINE COMPANY,

OF JAMESTOWN; NEW YORK ASSI GNQR TO U. S. STANDARD VOTING- OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, CORPORATION- OF NEWYORK.

vo'rme AND sr'm Aa nners'rnnme MACHINE.

No. erases.

' nierals marked thereon. 1 I

My present invention relates to voting and similar] registering machines, and partic Gillespie, embodying a plurality pf register-1 'ularly to thatclass 'ofwhich an example is shown in'Letters Patent No. 647,657 to ing devices, indicators for designating the particular registers to be operated, and mechanism for altering the relation of theparts at or subsequent to the operation of the register to adapt the machine for another voter, and

it has for-its object to provide means for protecting the registers or counters from fraudulent or unlawful manipulation without detection, whereby an examination of the machine after the close of the election-and after the transcription 01" the record fromt-heregister, the fact of alteration or-ol the possibility of alteration of the registers will ve made apparent.

To-th's and other ends the invention con sists in certain improvements which will. be hereinafter fully described and the novel features pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

I have shown my improvements as applied to a machine of the general typeabove referred to, but which differs in many respectsfrom that shown .in said patent, par

'ticularly in that-ithe means for causing the relative movement of'the registers and indicators, (which latter,, however, are-not shownlare different;

In the accompan ing drawings: Figure 1 is a rear elevationo avoti-ngmachineof the.

t 'pe referred to with the opaque door or c osure normally closing the register re-.

moved, and showing the registers through their transparent covering which serves-to protect them.- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line rc-x' of Fig. 1 showing the device for securin the panels with other arts, the registers, Fig. 3 'is a rear elevation of 'the securing WILLIAM J. LAUS- owever, not being s I'OWII.

Specificationof Letters Patent. malted March 23, 1909. Application filed September 10, 1904, Serial No. 22,8,978.

frame for the transparent panels.

4 is l a horizontal sectional view on theline y'- y' of Fig. 1; Fig. His a plan vlew of-the upper 1' portion of the left. end of the panel support.

Fig; 5 is a vertical sectional view taken near the left hand end of the machine of Fig. v1";

Fig. 6 is an elevationoftheleft hand of the machine. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the operating parts of the machine and the connection with. the panel securing device and register. Fig. 8 is a detail'view of the lower corner of the cover securing frame showing a modification or detachment. Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofthe cover frame showing the manner of removing the panels. Similar reference numerals in the several 'figures indicate similar arts' casing of t e mach ne indicated The main by 1 may be of the usual or any construction,

vpreferably of metal, the rear of said casing operaeing closedwhen the machine is in tion; the upper door indicated .by 2 eing arranged on the hinges 3, and bottom door .4 mounted upon the hinges 5 and between these two and hinged u on a cross bar 6 is arranged a large mid e door or closure adapted for-covering the o ening between the upper'and lowerfdo'ors, t is middle door,

however, being omitted from the drawing forthe purpose of showing more clearlythe transparent covering for the registers and o crating part-s arranged immediately in of the present improvement.

6 and 7 indicate cross bars, referably 1n the form of angle irons, secure to the ends side ofit, and forming .the subject matter of I the casing, serving as the immediate.

support for movable panels, with plates or' flanges 8 and 9 upon the latter of which the movable ,panelsrest, the upper one forming a broad cover for the up er ends of sai panels. In the, resent em'odiinent I have shown three 0 these panels or transparent closures arranged immediately over the rear of the registers and through which the numerals thereon. are visible, such panels each preferably consisting of a'sheet of glass 10 mounted in a metal frame 11, a suitable cushion or packing 12 of fabric being employed between. These panels are thinner than the plates 8 and 9 and are supported .upon the latter, their combined length being sufficient to cover the rear face of the registers, while the transparent closure or such bars being provided between the edges of the outside g are and the casing are arranged filling pieces or panels 13 and 14 which may or may not e transparent, but are not necessarily so. The combined length of the closing panels, transparent and opaque, is when their adjacent edges abut, sufficient to reach from side to side of the casingas. shown in Fig.1, thereby clo'singthe opening therein,

and, when clamped in this position, access to the registers and the parts arranged forwardly thereof is prevented, while the numbers'uponthe register may be read through the glass. The preferred means for securing the panels in position and lock- 'ing them is a longitudinal and laterally ,movable frame composed of horizontally extending bars -15- an'd16 sliding on the r and '19, the intermediate bars 118. and 19 meeting. edges of the panels so as not lat'es Sand 9 respectively, and connected I y the vertically extending bars 17, 18

being arranged preferably in rear of the to obstruct the view of the registers, The-ends of'the bars 17, 18 and19 prefer-. ably-extend beyond-the upper and lower plates and are adapted to travel in cam slots" 20 locatedi'n the plates8' and 9 and so disposed relatively to the other parts that when the securing frame is vinovedtot lie left of Fig. 2 by means of the operating handle 21',

it will also be moved rearwardly (laterally of i the frame). clamping the panels firmly in position against bars6 and "7, and efiectually preventing accessto the interior of the maehine. -When the securing frame is moved in the opposite direction and'away from the- 1 cause the seal to be broken".

rear of the machine, the panels niay be moved past each] other to permit access to the interior, and if desired, they may be removed one at a time by inserting their upper ends through a slot 22 formed near one end of the upper plate 8 and then moved downwardly to escape the lower bar, as

shown particularly in Fig 9.

' In order to prevent the unauthorized movement of the frame to releasing position, different forms of locking mechanism. may be pro vidod,. as for instance, the lower end of one of the bars 17 maybe extended beneath the plate 9 and-provided. with a loop or staple between which and a corresponding loop or staple 23 and a pin 24 secured to the plate-9, a paper or other sealindicated by '25 in Fig. 8

- may be employed, as the moven-ient of the;

frame to releasing position would necessarily The handle or operating part 21 consists of a link pivoted to the frame having a notch 22 in-its lower side and an operatingring and. extending outwardly through an aperture in'the casing panels-g t on by a suitable'key lock,,thc bolt 27 of which isadapted when protected to hold the handle in engagement with the casing or frame, as shown in Fig. 3.

I prefer to connect the panel securing de vice with a-registering mechanism' which is manipulated during. the ,usual 0 erat ion. of the machine and from whichin t .ie ordinary course of an election', the inspectors make a transcript, so that theItransc'ript or election returns which are made in public, upon being compared with the machine at a subsequent H period, will indicate whether-or not the nachine has been so operated that access can be had to the registers or the latter manipulated by the keys or indicators. Fig. 7 1 have shown the operating-parts of a machine of, this type, 40 indicating the registcr'frame adapted to be inoved'ba'ck and forth upon supporting links d1 by the vertical. moveinents of pivoted levers 42' connected by links 43, and bell crank levers- 44 with 1 an operating device controlled by the handle '45 which manipulates the closure or eurtain covering the "front of the machine, This handle or lever 45- is operated in opposite directions by each voter causing the move ment of theregister frame 40 and the casting 'of'the ballot. i

28 indicates what I term protective counter andembodying atrain of numbered wheels visible through a suitable aperture at the'end of the casing, as shown in Fig. (5' and having its actuator 29 connected to one of.

' the moving parts of the machine, the wheels 190 and partsoi' said counter being so covered and protected that it-ca-nnot be set back, no:- its registration changed, excepting by the regular operation of the machine, which voperations it will faithfully record. The. 105 actuator of this counter is in'the present in stance connected by a link 30 with one of-tho levers 42. s

31; indicates a'lever pivoted at 32, on the end of the machine casing having at one end 1 10 a projection-33 extending over the lever 42, the lower end of said lever 31' being provided with a shoulder'adapted to cooperate with 1 the operating bar or slide 21when the panels are inlocked position to prevent it from bc- 11's ing raised to disengage its shoulder or notch from. the casing of the machine, so that the arm 21 cannot be liftedex'cepting when-the lever 31 is moved away from-it. The rela- 45 is such that the operating handle 21 can onlybe disengaged when. the said arm 45 is moved to the positionwhich will permit thevoter at the front of the machine to operate the voting mechanism, and the last portion of the movement of said lever 4-5 moves the end of the lever 31, upwardly turning it whereby it may be manipulated, but when in an'inward or locking position the notch is I in engagement with the casing. This handle and the frame may besecured from opera 1 on its pivot and disengaging the arm 21.

This construction necessitates, before the arm 21 can be unlocked and the protecting 13c tionof the lever 31 to the operating arm J20 there should be any'que stion' aboutthe-returns made by the inspectors, -'an'-:inspectioi 1" of the machine would show whether or not panels moved, that the machine shall be placed in the position for voting, and to do this, the said operating ortion 45 mustfirst be unlocked and move counter to'register one additionalnumber of the numbers appearing upon the candidate registers, but also the number ofitotal operations of the machine taken from theprotecte ive counter immediately "at'the close of the; polls, 'and asaccess can onl be-hadto the registers by the removal o ,the panels, if

the returns-correspond with" the mrichineand further, whether the cover securing'means had been operated to permit= access1to the registers after the close 'of'the polls and after the total on the transcribed.

The arran ement described is particularly valuable in t at class of machines in which a large number of registers are employed,

necessarily arranged close together, "and which are adapted to be resetronly through an opening covered by the movable panel, as

to show whether or not the machine has been tampered with since the close of. the election;

I claim as my invention: 1. In a registering machine, the combination wlth the registers and operating mechanismtherefor, of. a register for indicating the total number of operations of the machine, a closure for *theregisteri'ng mechanism, a securing device therefor and'connections between the latter and said-register.

2. In aregistering machine, thecombina tion with the registers and operating-mechanism therefor and a register operated by the latter, of a movable closure for the registering mechanism permitting inspection of, but

preventing access to, the latter when in locked position and. connections between said closure, register and the operating me,chan-- ism for preventing the movement of the closure without operating the register.

3. In:a registering machine, the combination with the registers and operating mechanism therefor and a total non-resettable, protective register onerated by the latter, of a movable closure-for preventing the separate movement of the registers independently of the .opegating mechanism and interlocking connectionsbetween said operatingv mechanism and the closure for preventing the release of the closure without operating the protective register.

4.- In a registering machine, the combination .with the registers, the register frame therefor and a'protective non-resettablereg- I to the other side ofthe machine, which willcause the protective protectivecounterhad been clamping said panels in pos tion in alinemen't .to prevent access to the .reg1'sters. only one form of ind cating device is required ist er connected to the frame and actuated therew1th, of a clos'ure for the registers, a setween the securing device when the frame is in a predetermined positionI 5. A registeringmachine embodying reg'. isters, casing having an opening therein, a plurality of relatively movable imperforate panels adapted when in alinement and in abutment to close the opening in the casing and a movable securing device for clamping 6. A registering machine embod 'ng register's, casing. having an 0 'ning' tierein, a closure for the opening em odying a plurality Oflongitudi'nalIy and laterally movable trans arent panels adapted to fill said opencuring device therefor" and connections be- I the panels in alinement preventing access to the registers. a

mg w 'en in alinelnent. and means for holding said-panels in alineinent, thereby preventing access to the registers *thoughppermitting their inspectionf Y 7 A registering machine embodying reg-' 'isters, a casing providedfwith thego ening having the support at the lower si'e'," the panels movablelo'ngitudinally and laterally on'the support and: adapted, when in alin'ement, to close the opening and means for 8. A registering machine embodying registers, a, casing provided with the opening havingv the support at the lower side, the

panels movable longitudinally and laterally on the support and adapted when in alinement toclose the opening and a movable locking frame engaging the. panels and holdthe registers. I

9. 'A registering machine embodying registers a casing provided with-the opening having the support at'the lower side, the transparent panels movable longitudinally and laterally of the openin gand adapted ing them in alinement to prevent accessto whenin alinenrent to close the latter and locking bars for engaging the panels and movable laterally and longitudinally of the" latter to secure the'm' in position thereby-pr'eventing access to theregisters though per- -mitting their inspection.

10. A registering machine-embodying registers, casing having the opening, and the support at the bottom thereof, a pluralit 9f transparent panels movable longitudinally on the-support and adapted to close the opening and securing bars movable'latorally and. longitudinally bf the panels to .secure them in position thereby permitting p [25 A registering machine embodying reg, v

when in alinement, to close the opening and Y the, longitudinally movable clamping bars adapted to engage and secure the panels in alinement therebypreventing access to the registers though pe-rmitting'theirinspection.

12. A registering machine embodying registers, a casing having the opening and the support at the bottom thereof, a plurality of longitudinally and laterally movable panels adaptedto close the opening when in alinement,' the longitudinally movable locking bars engaging the panels to secure them and cam devices for causing the lateral movements of'the bars to locking position to prevent access to the registers. v

-13. A-regis'tering-rnach-ine embodying regl isters, a casing having the opening,-.the plates at the upp' er and lower sides of said opening 2 having cam .slots, a plurality of movable ..2O

anels adapted to close the opening and the ongitudinally movable locking bars adapted to .secure the panels and having projections operating in the earn slots to prevent access to the registers.

isters', a casing having the opening, the plates atthe upper and lower sides of the, opening 14. A registering machine embodying reghaving cam s'lots,,a plurality of transparent movable anels adapted when in alinement to close t e opening, the movable frame embodying bars'engaging the panels to secure ment and to move relatively laterally when the frame is moved rearwardly thereby preventing access to the registers'though permitting their inspection.

16. In a registering machine, the combination 1 with .the registers and operating mechanismltherefor, of'the casing having the opening, a plurality of transparent panels adapted to close the opening when in posi- *tion, the locking frame for engaging and holding the panels, means for securing the frame and a'catch engaging the securing means adapted to be actuated by the operating mechanism.

17. A registering machine embodying registers, a casing having the opening, a plurality of transparent panels for closing the opening, the movable locking frame, the operating handle engaging the casing and a lock for securing said handle thereby ne venting access to the registers though permitting their inspection.

18. registering machine embodying registers, a casing having the opening, a plurality of transparent panels for closing the opening, the movable locking frame and a sealing device arranged between the frame and'a stationary part .of the casing thereby preventing access to the registers though perinitting their inspection.

' 19-. A registering machine embodying rcgisters, a casing having an opening, a plurality of panels adapted to be inserted in said opening, and form a single continuous partition therein, closing said opening, and a movable securingdevice forclamping said panels in.

position in saidopening, preventing access to the registers through said opening.

. WILLIAM J. LAUSTE HER. VVitnessesi- R. O. JOHNSON,

F. E. GIFFORD WARNER. 

